


Miriam- Prologue

by tatteredspider



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-27
Updated: 2014-03-27
Packaged: 2018-01-17 05:47:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1376137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tatteredspider/pseuds/tatteredspider
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the beginning of a character that`s been rattling around in my head for a few months. Thought I`d write up her prologue and see what the response was like before writing anything longer.</p><p>There is a possible child-abuse trigger, so fair warning.</p><p>Be merciful.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>BioWare owns the world. Or at least, this one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Miriam- Prologue

Prologue

 

"Daddy! Look! Look what I can do!" Miriam cried, running into the barn and startling the cow. Her sandy blonde pigtails flew out behind her, honey-coloured eyes sparkling with mirth.

The elder man chuckled at his little girl. "Now, Princess, what have I told you about scaring ol' Bess? Soon we'll be milkin' curdled cheese, you keep that up."

Miriam giggled, but was not put off by the gentle scolding. Her father always said that, but the old cow had been nothing if not reliable in her milk- not to mention that curdled cheese could be quite tasty. "You gotta see, Daddy!" she insisted, waving about her hands in abandon.

"All right, Princess. What is it that I need to see?"

Miriam smiled broadly, then concentrated on her fingers. She could do it again, she knew she could. Slowly, ever so slowly, pale blue light began to rise from her finger tips. She stared harder, thought of nothing but what she wanted to appear from her hands, missing the horrified look her father gave her. The light shifted, formed a small orb, then shifted again into the shape of a butterfly. Slowly, it opened it's ethereal wings, pumped them twice, then took off into the air, disapating into moted of light a few feet beyond Miriam's hand. 

The child looked up, happy to have done it again. Such pretty lights she could make. But then she saw her father's face and her smile faltered. He was terrified, angry. His cheeks were flushed a horrid purple while the rest of his face had lost all colour. Sweat had broken out on his forehead and his hands were trembling. "No," he whipered. "No, no, no. No child of mine will use magic!"

He suddenly grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her bodily to the small hearth that heated the barn. A fire burned brightly behind the metal grating he used to keep sparks from flying and catching the hay floor covering.

Tears had begun to fall from Miriam's eyes. Her Daddy was hurting her wrist and scaring her. She only made pretty lights! She liked the butterflies and missed them in the winter like this. She just wanted to see butterflies. "Daddy! Please stop! You're hurting me!"

"My daughter will be no mage! I will burn it from your hands!" Now he had grabbed both of little Miriam's wrists and was pulling her inexorably towards the grating. "No magic from my daughter's hands! Maker be with me!"

Suddenly, Miriam's hands were resting on the grate, fire licking at her palms. She screamed, pulled, screamed some more, cried as her flesh seared. Fire reached out and licked at the tops of her hands as well, blistering the reddened skin. "NOOOO!" she pleaded, with the Maker, with her father, with whoever would listen.

The fire leapt higher in the hearth, tendrils licking over the top of the grating to touch at her father's shirt. He cired out, dropping his daughter's wrists to bat at his clothing. But the fire just climbed higher, quickly engulfing his arm, then up his chest. Miriam turned and ran, clutching her hands to her chest. Vaguely, she heard ol' Bess mewling in her stall, so she turned and lifted the latch carefully with her elbow before turning to run again. She prayed to the maker that the cow made it out of the now burning barn.

She spared no thought for her father.

o0o

 

Miriam wasn't sure how long she had run, but when she looked back towards the farm, she couldn't see smoke from over the hills and deemed it far enough. With no real thought as to what she was doing, she plunged her hands into the snow, then screamed at the overwhelming pain. Maker! Why? Why would you do this? Was I so bad? she thought to herself, before pain and exhaustion caught up to her and she passed out in the snow.

An hour or so later, Miriam woke to a strange snuffling noise around her ear. She screamed, startled, then screamed again from the pain caused by her sudden jolting. A quick yip and whining, caused her to open her eyes, to see a bedraggled, slightly bloody Mabari pup, head down and stub of a tail tucked between his legs.

"Oh!"she exclaimed. "I- I'm sorry, pup. You scared me, and I'm hurt and..." she trailed off as she attempted to gulp back her sobs. The puppy, seeing her distress, crawled forward slightly, eyes on her to watch for the punishing hand. When no punishment came, he carefully placed his head in her lap. She tipped her head, touching her forehead to his, slowly crying herself back to sleep. The pup curled himself as close as he could to her body and followed suit.

o0o

 

Over the next few days, the duo walked. Miriam didn't know where she was going, only that she wanted to be as far from the farm as she could. The Mabari followed, sensing that she needed all the help she could get. He could smell the difference between the skin on her hands and the rest of her body. It smelled of heat and metal and eventually of sick. The girl would need help, people help, and soon. 

Soon the Mabari smelled people, lots of people. A city! He could find her help there. He headed towards the gates and the child dutifully followed. At this point the fever had caught her and she moved listlessly, without thought as to where they were actually going. The Mabari eventually found an alley in which to hide the girl, where she could sleep without being molested. These were the kinds of places he would sleep, so he knew they would work for her. Then he headed out to scour the market district. He would find her someone to help.

Miriam's fevered eyes opened to see the pup running off. It saddened her briefly that the dog was abandoning her, but she had expected it. If her own father couldn't stand her, why should a stupid dog. She didn't realize her eyes had closed until she opened them again to see the dog leading a person into the alley. He was human, a relatively large male and while Miriam thought to cringe away, she had passed out again before she could.

Dog and man leaned over the girl with near identical frowns of concern. The man turned to the beast and, with a thick Antivan accent, said "You did good, boy."


End file.
